In May von Weinberg’s Armorial Binding
by Ernst Ludwig
“ the still today most Important Novel
on French Peasantry ”
with Jeanniot’s Illustrations
Weinberg – Jeanniot – Balzac, Honoré de. Les Paysans. Scènes de la vie de campagne. With
50 etchings by Georges Jeanniot
printed in brown, 24 of which as plates (c. 19-19.5 x 13-14 cm) , 24 within the text (c. 7 x 12.5-13 cm and that of the title 7 x 5 cm resp.) & 2 on the wrapper (20 x 13 and 10.5 x 10.5 cm resp.), partly with signature and monogram resp. in the plate, the one of the front wrapper also with date 1911, as well as initials & ornament vignettes printed in green & black. Paris, SOCIÉTÉ des AMIS du LIVRE MODERNE, 1911. 4to (28.5 x 22 cm). 4 unnumbered ll. preliminary matters, 378 pp., 1 l. imprint. Cornflower blue morocco with 5 ribs with
May von Weinberg’s armorial supralibros
b. Villers Forbes from the House of the Earl of Granard
together with Forbes’ device Bear and Forbear
on the front cover, 4 cm wide manifold formed lining of both covers with particularly
cornflower bloom border as the Weinberg’s arms symbol ,
complete decoration interrupted only by title plate of back & leading edge determined by cornflower bloom as well as broad gilt interior edge, all in gold, blue silk moiré for inner covers & fly-leaves as well as bound with orig. wrapper including its back. Gilt edges. (E. Ludwig, Frankfurta/M 1911.)
Loubier, [The Book Binding in Old and New Time], 1903, page 178; Carteret IV, 55 ( “Belle publication cotée” ); Mahé 122. – Arranged by Charles Meunier & Jean Renouard. – Preliminary matters in reddish brown (so the headings of the chapters, too) & black. – Etchings printed by Ch. Wittmann, the text by FIRMIN-DIDOT (“applies in particular to ills. works, too, éditions de luxe”, Löffler-Kirchner I, 541) under the direction of Thienemann Levevre. The especially made paper by PERRIGOT-MASURE .
No. 45/125 A copies (total edition 150 copies, 15 of which outside of the trade [B] & 10 for employees [C]) as
Exemplaire imprimé
pour
Madame MAY VON WEINBERG
(Plymouth 1866 – Frankfort/Main 1937) as member of the second eldest French society of bibliophiles, the Société des Amis du Livre Moderne established 1874, and here in the perfectly fresh
personal luxurious master binding
by Ernst Ludwig in Frankfort
( “Also by Ernst Ludwig in Frankfort on the Main stylish bindings of various material have become known recently ”
so Jean Loubier, “Inspirer on the field of modern book art … in the binding commission formed at his suggestion he did the most important works” [L.-K. II, 1936, 372]).
Thanks to the by the patroness ideally fully exhausted family armorial guidelines Ludwig here had the rarely that fine chance to merge the same both thematically and in color creatively uniquely.
So, married with the industrialist (Casella AG), collector and patron Carl von Weinberg, besides the anyhow general dominance of cornflower blooms as further reverence to his family arms (cornflower bloom piece below riding horse) in the shield of the supralibros below the advancing bear additionally its three bear heads with halter-straps were replaced by three horse heads.
With a result ne plus ultra .
Entering an ambience, appearing as “the residence of a Fugger or Welser” as Walter Moszkowski wrote on October 26, 1926 in the B.Z. am Mittag on Haus Waldfried (Mack, see below, pp. 45 + 30).
At the same time one of the most active benefactresses of Frankfort with burial chapel at the steeple of the church of the Mother of the Good Council in Niederrad on the back of the front fly-leaf finally
Mary (“May”) von Weinberg’s
personal graphical ex-libris
of a winged angel with the Book of Life
in front of Vatican ambience with
St. Peter’s , Ponte Sant’Angelo + Castel Sant’Angelo ,
opened at May’s page along with device
Dvm vivam et vltra
(“hieme et aestate , et prope et procul , usque dum vivam et ultra” ,
in winter and summer , near and far , during life and beyond
within the meaning of the canon
“Everything is vain but You remain and whom You write into the Book of Life”).
Below that the coats of arms of both families below joint crown :
On the left the shield of the Weinberg’s with the three cornflower blooms,
on the right that of the Forbes’ with three bear heads with halter-straps.
On the Weinberg family see Ernst Mack, [The Frankfort Family von Weinberg / In the Sign of the Cornflower Blooms], revised new edition, Frankfort/Main 2000, enclosed here.
Exemplary instance of the binding art of the early 20th century
adequately containing
“ the till today most important novel on French peasantry ”
coming from the pen of the “grandiosely faun-like nature of Balzac , earth-like elementary and bound up with the dark origins of life” (Laaths, [History of World Literature], 1953, page 612) and, adequately once more – just as then, a slight waving of the moiré doublures aside, the preservation, too – , powerfully illustrated by Pierre Georges Jeanniot (Geneva 1848 – Paris 1934, since 1906 Knight of the Legion of Honor, friendly with Manet, familiar with Degas):
“ J.s graph(ic) works manifest the same versatility of the (painterly) subject-matter and the technique.
Above all he uses to do the etching
… His effortless command of the representation of the forms of movement enabled him especially as illustrator … i. a. … Balzac’s (1845) ‘Paysans’ ”
(Thieme-Becker XVIII [1925], 476). His obituary in the New York Papers of January 4, 1934.
Offer no. 28,946 / price on application
„ vielen Dank für die prompte Lieferung! … Nach diesem Kupferstich (Hogarth, Sleeping Congregation) habe ich übrigens ziemlich lang gesucht – offenbar immer an der falschen Stelle – und bin jetzt außerordenlich froh, ein so unversehrtes Exemplar zu besitzen … Herzlichen Dank noch mal und freundliche Grüße “
(Herr C. K., 28. Juni 2012)